Rotherham

Rotherham's population grew in the decade leading up to the most recent census. At the same time there were changes in marriage, housing tenure and religion.

The population passed quarter of a million

In the decade leading up to the most recent census, the population of Rotherham increased by 3.7%, from just over 248,000 to 257,000.

The addition of about 9,100 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Rotherham was home to, on average, 6.4 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Rotherham

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Rotherham increased by three years, from 38 to 41 years.

This industrial area had a higher average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and remained slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of about 6,000 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by almost 8,000.

About 12% of people in Rotherham are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Rotherham by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Rotherham

Rotherham saw England's third-largest fall in the proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

In 2011, just over 1 in 15 (6.8%) in Rotherham reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities, compared with 7.7% in 2001. The percentage who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 4.5% to 5.3%.

England's largest decrease in the proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability occurred in Barking and Dagenham (from 5.7% to 4.7%) followed by Derby (from 7.3% to 6.3%).

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

More single people in Rotherham

The percentage of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased in Rotherham, but at a slower rate than in Sheffield (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Rotherham).

In Rotherham, the proportion of single people increased from 26% in 2001 to 31% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Sheffield increased from 34% to 41%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased from 29% to 34%.

The proportion of married people in Rotherham fell from 55% to 50%, while the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner increased from 10% to 12%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in rate of self-employment

The percentage of Rotherham residents that were self-employed increased from 5.9% to 7.5% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

The percentage who said they were employed remained close to 52%, while the percentage of Rotherham residents that were unemployed increased from 4.0% to 5.2%.

The proportion of self-employed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 7.2% in 2001 to 8.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 8.2% to 9.7%.

The rate of self-employment in Rotherham increased by 1.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Rotherham, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they were self-employed, March 2001 and March 2011

Fall in social renting

Rotherham saw Yorkshire and The Humber's third-largest fall in the proportion of socially rented homes.

In 2011, just over one in five (22%) households in Rotherham lived in social housing, compared with 26% in 2001. The percentage of privately rented homes increased from 5.6% to 11%.

Across the region, only Sheffield (from 30% to 25%) and Kingston upon Hull (from 33% to 28%) saw a greater decrease in the proportion of socially rented homes.

The rate of social housing in Rotherham decreased by 4.8 percentage points

Percentage of households in Rotherham, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented socially, March 2001 and March 2011

Change in unpaid care provision

The percentage of Rotherham residents that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 3.0% to 3.5% between the last two censuses.

The percentage who reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 1.5%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 2.3% in 2001 to 2.6% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.1% to 2.4%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care in Rotherham remained close to 3.5%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Rotherham by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Rotherham

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, 24% said they had no religion. An increase from 11% in 2001 makes this the fastest-growing religious group in Rotherham.

The percentage increased at a similar rate to the average across Yorkshire and The Humber (from 14% to 26%), but at a faster rate than the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Rotherham that described themselves as Christian decreased from about 200,000 in 2001 to about 170,000 in 2011 (from 79% to 66%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation decreased from about 19,000 to about 17,000 (from 7.8% to 6.6%).

About 9,600 people (2.2%) said they were Muslim, up from just over 5,400 in 2001 (3.7%).

The population without a religion in Rotherham increased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Rotherham by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Rotherham

In 2011, 94% of the local population said they were from the White ethnic groups. An increase from 97% in 2001 makes this the fastest-growing ethnic group in Rotherham.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber (from 93% to 89%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Rotherham from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from just over 5,800 in 2001 to just under 11,000 in 2011 (from 2.4% to 4.1%). The number of residents from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed) increased from about 1,200 to just under 2,600 (from 0.5% to 1.0%).

About 2,100 people (0.2%) said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, up from about 400 in 2001 (0.8%).

The population from the White ethnic groups in Rotherham decreased by 3.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Rotherham by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Rotherham residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 12% to 7.6% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (77%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 64% in 2001. While the percentage of Rotherham residents that described their health as fair decreased from 23% to 15%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 10% in 2001 to 6.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Rotherham decreased by 4.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Rotherham, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

More people cohabiting

The percentage of households in Rotherham, which comprised a cohabiting couple, increased from 8.6% to 11% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (29%) households had only one person, compared with 27% in 2001. The percentage of households in Rotherham which comprised a married couple (with or without children) decreased from 41% to 35%.

The proportion of households with an unmarried couple increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 8.7% in 2001 to 11% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 8.3% to 9.9%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Rotherham increased by 2.6 percentage points

Percentage of households in Rotherham, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that had an unmarried couple, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Rotherham working less than 16 hours increased from 1.3% to 2.4% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over 1 in 11 (9.1%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 12% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 1.8% in 2001 to 3.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.9% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Rotherham increased by 1.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Rotherham, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Rotherham with only adult children living with their parents remained close to 11% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (30%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 32% in 2001. The percentage of households in Rotherham without children increased from 58% to 59%.

The proportion of households with adult children living with their parents increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (which remained close to 9.3%). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.4% to 9.6%.

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

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